Fletcher's Path
by Phantasm.Angel
Summary: Like all children his age, Fletcher is eager to receive his very first Pokémon and begin his very own journey. What the Kanto region has in store for the young trainer is anyone's guess, but he'll persevere and grow with the help of his friends, rivals, family, and, of course, the Pokémon he encounters along the way.
1. Chapter 1

My name is Fletcher and, like every other kid, I always dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, and not just that, but to become one of the greats, forever remembered in the history books, or at least the almanacs of the years to come. It was because of this great shared dream that untold numbers of kids applied for their Trainer licenses at the age of ten, and I was one of them. Unlike some of my peers, I didn't get the chance to study at a Trainer School for the final exam held every July. Because I lived in such a small town I instead had to learn through a combination of correspondence courses and tutoring from my father. He used to be a Trainer himself, but from the difficulty he had with some of the material, it was pretty clear that he hadn't given the finer points of raising or battling Pokémon too much thought since he retired.

But despite all of the distractions that a summer can hold, we persevered and when the exam arrived in the mail, I set to it with confidence. It was with significantly less gusto that we mailed the packet back to the Pokémon League headquarters at Indigo Plateau. The remaining weeks didn't do much to assuage my nerves, as it seemed that the only thing on everyone's mind was the upcoming announcement of licensed Trainers and the exodus that would follow as the lucky kids all got to go on journeys. More often than not, I spent my August hiding from neighbors or avoiding phone calls from distant relatives just so I didn't have to talk about a subject that would inevitably lead to how I did on my test. I was stressed out enough without the pressure that everyone else was sure to add. At home though, my dad and little sister were surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal, which is really saying something for Natalie, who's usually impossible to shut up.

In fact, after school let out, my sister was out with her school friends more than she was home. It's kind of a bummer when a seven-year old has more of a social life than you. The first real conversation between us didn't come until the day before my results arrived. I had made my way onto the roof of our house and was lying on the shingles staring at the stars. There wasn't a thought in my head until I heard a grunt and saw Natalie pulling herself up and over to join me. I smiled and helped to steady her, "Dad would have a heart attack if he saw you up here."

She rolled her big blue eyes, "If a dork like you can avoid breaking his neck, I think I'll survive." I grabbed Nat into a headlock and started to rub my knuckles into her forehead. "Stop it!" she squealed, and I relented. "What'd you do that for?" she whined, running her little hands through her thoroughly tousled hair.

"I got to make sure you won't miss me too much," I said. I had meant it as a joke, but it had fallen flat. Natalie instead laid back on the roof and stared at the sky and after a pause, I joined her.

We stayed like that for a while, before her voice pierced the still night air, "We'll be okay."

"What?" I said, turning to face her.

"When you go on your journey, we'll be alright here, so you don't have to worry about us," Natalie said, before propping herself up on her elbow, "So you go out there and you be the best, and when you're famous and have a whole bunch of Pokémon, you have to promise me that you'll take me out to capture a Pokémon of my very own."

I was at a loss for words and tried to mumble something, but the feeble attempt fizzled when I looked into my sister's fierce blue eyes and saw the sadness hiding behind this passion. "You have to promise," she all but begged me.

"I promise," I said quietly. Satisfied, Natalie slid back down to the roofing, resting her head on her palms. A few minutes passed before I allowed myself to relax. "So, what kind of Pokémon are you looking for?" I asked.

"Oh, I don't know."

"Come on, Natalie," I chided, "everyone's got a favorite."

"Well, because you ask, I'd really like a nice fire Pokémon that could keep me warm at night, like a Ponyta!"

I laughed, "Well, aside from the flames, do you really think you're going to fit a whole Ponyta in your bed?"

"Fine," she pouted, "How about a Vulpix?"

"That's a good choice," I said. I don't really remember what else we talked about, but within an hour, Natalie was falling asleep and I had to help her get back inside and get in bed so that dad didn't wake up to his only daughter on top of the house. After some good-natured mumbled insults as I tucked her in, Natalie hugged me good night and whispered, "I wish I could go with you, Fletcher."

"There'll be plenty of adventures for us in a few years," I said, "don't you worry." Then, with a flick of the light switch, I left my sister to sleep. Then I went back to my own room, got into my pajamas and tried to get some rest.

The next morning, I sprung from my bed and peered through the window. I had no idea what time it was, but the flag on our mailbox outside was up. I thought about just rushing out to retrieve my exam, but I was scared of what my score might be, so I set out to distract myself. First I took a shower, followed by breakfast, with a nonstop train of thought about the mailbox accompanying each activity. To further push the issue from my mind, I changed for the day, cleaned my room, took out the garbage, and was just getting out the vacuum when Natalie came prancing through the door holding the mail in her hands. "Guess what I've got!" she sang.

"A fantastic deal on a magazine subscription?" I offered weakly.

Natalie's mouth curved into a frown of mock thought, "Hm, I don't think so. We've got some bills, some junk mail, a letter for dad, two letters for me, and, well look, Fletcher, there's a whole package for you!" At that, my sister abandoned the rest of the mail and began waving around a manila envelope. "Do you want it?" she asked innocently.

"Hand it over, pipsqueak," I said through gritted teeth.

"Pipsqueak? Someone must not want their mail!" Natalie said with obvious relish, then turned her attention to the return address on the envelope, "Ooh, it's from the Pokémon League! It must be important!"

"Natalie, please give it to me."

"That's a little better, but I don't know if that makes up for how mean you were."

I took a deep breath, "My sister Natalie, while already smarter and funnier than I am, also possesses all of the good looks between us and will also undoubtedly become a better Pokémon Trainer too." I looked at her in exasperation, only to receive an expectant gaze in return. After a failed attempt at snatching the envelope out of her hand, I sighed and gave in, "She can also use all of my video games while I'm gone."

After some pondering, Natalie dropped the envelope and scampered up the stairs to my room. "But only after I leave!" I shouted up after her, before bending over to pick up my exam. I took a seat at the kitchen table, the vacuuming forgotten. With trembling fingers, I tore the paper open and emptied the contents out on the table. I was hoping for a definitive yes or no without having to read anything, but the only contents were my scored exam booklet and a letter. The test was not something that I was eagerly to relive, so I unfolded the letter and read it slowly. Then I read it again, and then three more times just to be sure. Satisfied that my eyes were functioning properly, I sat up and started to laugh, I had done it! I was going to be a Pokémon Trainer! I wouldn't be able to pick up my actual license until the end of the month when I got to go to Pallet Town to pick out my first Pokémon, but this letter was the next best thing.

In the days that followed, the news spread like wildfire and there was no shortage of people congratulating me, even total strangers it seemed had read about me in the local section of our sleepy little town's paper. It was all a bit much, so I was glad that my dad took it all in stride. He agreed to take me and Natalie out to celebrate when he heard the news, but only after we went over my test to see what questions I had failed on. There were a few points off on the essay section, but I made a couple of larger goofs, such as forgetting that Zubat wasn't a Bug-type Pokémon. But even though he was reserved, my dad made no secret that he was proud of me.

The only other piece of mail that I got that summer was a follow up package from the Pokémon League that I thankfully got to before Natalie. Inside it was another letter congratulating me on passing the exam and a large poster displaying my three options for my first Pokémon. I put it up in my room and spent many an hour just laying in bed and studying it, weighing the pros and cons of each Pokémon. All of them were pictured in dynamic poses designed to show off their strengths. Squirtle was shooting a fierce stream of bubbles on a green background, Charmander was swinging its flame-tipped tail in a vicious arc on a blue background, and Bulbasaur held down the bottom of the poster, flexing its dexterous vines against a red background. Natalie made it clear upon first seeing the poster that she wanted me to choose Charmander, but I wasn't as sure. All three Pokémon fascinated and excited me, but as much as I wished I didn't have to, I had to pick just one.

Now, it was a hard decision for anyone to make. Your first Pokémon would become your inseparable partner, and would also set the tone for your whole adventure. I had heard a lot about how a few years ago a large number of trainers were unable to progress very far in the Pokémon league because their first Pokémon was at a type disadvantage against one of the first couple of gym leaders. I wasn't as worried about that though, after all I would ideally have more than one Pokémon. But still, it was a contentious question. I asked around to see what other people in my town thought, but instead of the straight answer I was hoping for, all I ever got were long-winded stories about their own Pokémon journey and how the starter that they had chosen was the best one for them and could be the best choice for me. Any usefulness that my intelligence gathering may have had evaporated when I tallied up the results and realized that I had gotten an almost even number of recommendations for each starter Pokémon.

When the day came for me to go down to Pallet Town, I still hadn't made my decision and was feeling a little nervous about it. Luckily, I had a three hour bus ride that I could spend thinking about my choice. As I stood in the station, a slight breeze ran through the depot, and I was grateful for the army surplus jacket I was wearing over my white t-shirt and blue jeans. My bus was announced and I picked up my backpack, filled with clothes, food, and other provisions, with one hand, and hugged my dad and little sister with my free arm. Then I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed for the bus. Thankfully we had done all of the formal goodbyes earlier so I didn't have to linger and have my family see the slight glisten of tears in my eyes.

As the lumbering vehicle pulled out of the station though, any feelings of homesickness or dread were eclipsed by a wave of excitement. I was on the cusp of my adventure, my very first Pokémon journey. I might not have set out on that journey confident that I would become the greatest Pokémon Trainer of all time, but I was sure going to try.


	2. Chapter 2

Unfortunately, I hadn't spent the bus ride to Pallet Town deep in contemplation over which Pokémon I would choose to accompany me on my journey. I didn't even spend it discussing the finer aspects of traveling and battling with the other prospective trainers that boarded the bus. Rather staying up late packing the days up to my departure had taken its toll and I was out like a light before the huge vehicle had even pulled into the next stop. My dreams were haunted by shadows of Pokémon I couldn't quite envision, but my awakening was in a way worse. I had fallen asleep on my backpack and it was moist with drool. To top things off, I was the object of attention of a trio of girls. Two of them were snickering and whispering to each other, but the third, a tall redhead only fixed me with a weary gaze.

"We're here," she said, rolling her green eyes, seeming to question why this displeasing task had fallen on her lap.

"Here?" I asked as I hastily scrambled to sit up straight and make a vain attempt to hide the darkened patch on my backpack.

"Pallet Town," she said slowly, "Professor Oak's lab?"

"Oh yeah," I said, standing up and attempting to gain some semblance of dignity back. "Thank you very much, I'm Fletcher," I said, extending my hand.

But she had already turned away and was exiting the bus, "That's great." Her friends followed her and I slowly dropped my hand, chancing a glance around. I was all alone on the bus, even the driver seemed to have stepped out. With a shrug, I slung my bag over my shoulder and hurried outside. The sight that greeted me was one of hundreds of trainers milling about the large field behind the imposing building that served as Professor Oak's lab. Dozens of Squirtle, Charmander, and Bulbasaur were becoming acquainted with their trainers and a couple of battles had broken out with rudimentary physical combat taking the place of the high-powered blows these Pokémon would be capable of with some training.

I paused to take in the sight when a surge of panic struck me, and I rushed past the newly minted trainers, pushing past a few with muttered apologies until I pushed my way into the lab. "Professor Oak," I shouted, "I'm here for a Pokémon."

A man came around a machine, but to my disappointment, it wasn't the man who had become almost a fixture on news reports and late-night television lectures. Yes, instead of the most esteemed Pokémon Professor in the country, I found myself face to face with a geeky-looking young man in a lab coat who looked like he would have trouble teaching a class of kindergartners, much less handling potentially dangerous creatures.

"Where's Professor Oak?" I asked.

"Oh, he stopped handing out Pokémon himself years ago," the young man said cheerfully, "Nowadays he has his interns do all of the work for him." I looked at the adult with some skepticism, but there didn't appear to be any malice in his voice.

"Well, I was hoping I could get my first Pokémon today."

"Oh, I'm sorry we're all out," the intern said.

It took everything in my power to keep my jaw from dropping from this revelation. All of my hard work it seemed had been for nothing. Without a Pokémon, I couldn't travel the region. I would have to go home and face my dad and Natalie and explain to them how I had let this huge chance slip away from me, all because I decided to get some shut-eye on the ride over. My head dropped, dejected, and I was about to slip away when the young man grabbed my shoulder, "Hey, I was just kidding, jeez! All of you kids are so serious this year." Now that he had my attention, I was released and shown to a room further back in the lab.

"Sorry about that, the name's Dave Sumac," he said, quickly grabbing my hand for a mechanical handshake before releasing it. "After all of the kids coming in and out with their hands out, demanding a Pokémon, I'm entitled to a little fun," Dave continued, "and you should have seen the look on your face! Ha!" He turned to me, expecting some shared mirth, but the best I could do was grimace.

"What Pokémon are left?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

"Oh, all of them," Dave said, "I'm afraid you aren't going to be one of those lucky kids who goes off with an Eevee or a Bellsprout, or whatever the latest fad is." He led me into the room which was bare, decorated in a style that suggested cheap science fiction more than prestigious lab with chrome metal walls, flooring, and a strange cylinder topped by a glass bubble. Dave walked around this machine and entered a code into the keypad on the back, causing the bubble to split down the middle and fold open, freeing three small red and white spheres. Each had a different sticker on it, one of a green leaf, another of an orange flame, and a third of a blue water drop. "I'm guessing I don't need to tell you which Poké Ball holds which Pokémon, do I?"

I shook my head and hesitantly reached out to choose my first Pokémon. I didn't have any idea which I was going to choose, and the events of the last few minutes had not done much in the way of fostering a productive decision-making process, but with my dream so close, I didn't want to risk losing it. So I grabbed a Poké Ball, not thinking, just eager to grab a hold and make my desires reality. Closing my hands around the sphere, I pulled it out of the machine and looked at it.

"Huh," Dave said, "Bulbasaur, a good choice." I smiled to myself, only snapped out of my excitement by Professor Oak's intern's coughing and holding out his hand.

"What? You want me to pay you?" I asked.

The young man flashed me a cheeky grin, "I wish! No, I just need your certification letter and I can finish registering you for your trainer's license."

"Oh!" I said, and hastily pulled off my backpack and rummaged through it for the piece of mail that had come back with my exam booklet. It had been crumpled and wrinkled a bit by the weeks that had gone by since I got it, but the smile on Dave's face when I handed him the letter let me know that everything was in order.

He pressed some more buttons on the keypad and this time a drawer came out of the cylinder. Dave reached inside and pulled out a gleaming red device with one large blue circle in it and several smaller ones next to it. Flipping it open, he entered some information, double-checking my confirmation letter to make sure he was spelling my last name right, no doubt, then he handed it to me, "This is your Pokédex, it will provide you with all the information you need to know about any Pokémon you encounter. It also serves as your trainer's license, so make sure you don't lose it."

"Thank you," I said, accepting the portable encyclopedia.

"Now get out there and start living!" Dave said, practically shoving me out of the lab, "Some of us have work to do!"

I stumbled out of the door which quickly slammed close behind me. I looked around to find that most of the other new trainers had cleared out, undoubtedly already heading north to Viridian City. Only a few were left, including the red-haired girl from the bus. "Nice of you to join us, sleeping beauty," she said before turning back to her Pokémon, a Charmander.

In a much better mood and far more awake after having received a starter of my own, I gave introducing myself another shot, "I don't think I caught your name, I'm-"

"I heard you the first time," she interrupted, not taking her eyes off her Pokémon which appeared to be practicing its battle moves by slashing at the air and ducking and weaving in response to imagined hits. It all looked very intense, and the Pokémon was noticeably sweating.

"Why is your Pokémon doing that? Why don't you challenge another trainer?" I asked.

"I fought everyone worthwhile already," the girl answered curtly.

"Well, why not battle me then?"

At this, the other trainer turned to face me with some curiosity, "Battle you?" She grabbed the Poké Ball from my hand to examine it and any interest immediately evaporated. "Sorry," she explained, "Augustus has already had his fill of crushing grass-types, I was hoping for a Squirtle, something to at least present a bit of a challenge."

Her distant attitude was starting to get to me and I reached out to get her attention. Without a glance backwards, the redhead intercepted my hand before it could make contact. "Don't take it personally, it's for your own good. You haven't even met your Pokémon, the first memory of your friendship shouldn't be a crushing defeat."

She released me and I stepped back, "Okay, fair enough. Then at least tell me your name."

"Why do you care?" the girl said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Because after I train, I'm going to need it for when I challenge you."

"Fine, I'm Maggie, happy?" she said, but before I could offer a smart remark, she had returned her Charmander to its Poké Ball in a flash of red light and was leaving for Route One. "Don't rush after the rest of us," she said after pausing in her departure, "take some time and get to know your Pokémon, you can focus on catching up later."

I watched her go in silence before turning my attention to my new Pokémon, still held in a pocket-sized sphere. I pushed the button on the middle and the capsule opened up, releasing a beam of red light that took the shape of a blue-green dinosaur with a bulb growing on its back. "Bulbasaur!" the creature said.

Kneeling down, I extended my hand to the Pokémon, not entirely sure what to expect. "Hey there," I said, "I'm Fletcher, I'm your trainer." A vine extended from the bulb and grasped my hand in an approximation of a handshake. "I don't have a lot of experience with being a trainer, or any really, so we're going to be learning together. Think you're up for taking on any trial that comes our way?"

My Pokémon gave an affirmative-sounding cry and I smiled. We might not end up being champions of the Indigo League, but we were going to give it are all. In the meantime it was time to take Maggie's advice and get to know my partner. The first step, I thought, was to name my Bulbasaur. "How do you feel about Bill?" I asked, going with the first name that came into my head. The Pokémon shook its head, and I tried again. After many, many attempts, we settled on Clovis, as a more masculine form of Clover. With that important task behind us, we set out to train for a while before heading out into the wilds of Route One. After some brief work on the power of Clovis's tackling and testing the dexterity of his vines, we degenerated into playing a game of tag and then resting in the grass behind the lab.

"Maybe we aren't cut out for the kind of training Maggie does," I wondered as Clovis munched on a flower, more out of boredom than hunger. He looked at me in confusion and I turned to face the Seed Pokémon, "I'll explain later. In the meantime, I guess we better get moving." I stood up and stretched, "Well, we're not going to get any more training done here, and it's already pretty late in the day. We better get going if we want to make it to the Viridian City Pokémon Center before dark."

Clovis nodded, and abandoned his flower to follow me. I thought about returning him to his Poké Ball, but the company would be nice, and besides, it was a lovely day out. We started onto Route One in high hopes of what was to follow.


	3. Chapter 3

Clovis and I started past the town limits of Pallet and found ourselves at the end of a wide field. A few trees dotted the horizon to the east and west, but between them was a series of gently rolling hills topped by a mass of long grass that waved each time a gentle breeze buffeted them. Aside from a couple of dips and rises, the whole route was flat enough that one could make out the buildings of Viridian City on the horizon. I looked for any sort of path or road to follow, but found no such long. The dirt road leading out of Pallet Town ran into the grass only to disappear under the vibrant plant life.

"Well Clovis," I said, "might as well get started." At that, I took my first steps into the grass. The stalks easily gave way to my sneakers, but as soon as I moved my foot and released them from under my heel, they sprung up again to mask any evidence of ever being disrupted. I was grateful I had decided against wearing shorts for this trek, as the grass was easily up to my waist, but that led to a new problem. "Clovis?" I said, looking around, "where are you?"

I heard a grunt of "Bulba" behind me and turned in time to see a thick green vine rise from the grass and poke my side to get my attention. Satisfied we continued onward. I pulled out my Pokédex and was about to start tinkering around with it when I heard rustling in the nearby grass. Stopping in my tracks and gesturing to Clovis to do the same, I aimed the red device at the area in the field where the noise was coming from. Eager with anticipation at the thought of my first battle, I wasn't prepared for what happened next. Instead of a lone Pokémon, the grass erupted with the sound of dozens of flapping wings and a flock of Pidgey emerged from their cover to take flight, kicking up a copious amount of dust and dirt as they did so.

Coughing, from the particles making their way down my throat, and attempting to shield my eyes from the same, I forgot all about my Pokédex and let the portable encyclopedia slip out of my hands and fall to the ground with a sound muffled by the grass and drowned out by the departing Pidgey. After the flock had gone, I made an attempt to wipe away the layer of dust that had coated me. Then I turned my attention to the issue of my dropped Pokédex and fell to my hands and knees searching for it. With what I suspected was a sigh, Clovis joined my hunt, using his vines to pull back grass and lift over any stray rocks we came across.

After a few minutes of searching with no discernable results, I sat back on my hands and tried to think. Not even a day into my journey and I had already lost my official license to be a Pokémon Trainer. I wasn't sure what the penalties were for the unlicensed raising of Pokémon, but I suspected it would put an end to my journey pretty quickly. Of course I could go back to Professor Oak's lab and ask for another one, but I wasn't sure that would go over too well. Plus, I didn't want to have to talk to Dave again. With a shudder at that thought, I returned to searching for my Pokédex. Even though I had redoubled my efforts, it seemed to be in vain. In our searching, Clovis and I had strayed from where we had been standing when the Pidgey took flight and the landscape had quickly hidden any marks that could be used to navigate. I punched the ground and cried out, "It's hopeless!"

Rather than comforting me or showing any amount of sympathy, my Pokémon's response was to smack the back of my head with one of his vines. Rubbing the sore spot, I turned on the Grass-type. "What was that for?" I yelled, but the Bulbasaur raised his vine up to my mouth to silence me. I started to ask for details, but the vine smacked my mouth before I could make a sound. Rubbing my jaw, I fell silent and that's when I heard something besides the gently waving grass. It was a frantic scratching sound, and it didn't seem too far off. Clovis began to head off to find the source of the sound, and I crawled after the Seed Pokémon.

A few yards away, we came to a stop. Behind the grass I could make out a purple shape, but also the tell-tale red of my Pokédex. Deciding the time for stealth was over, I leapt at my lost belonging. I felt my hands seize the device when something sharp sunk into my left hand. With a yelp of pain, I pulled back my hands and found myself looking at the Rattata that had done the damage. Its beady eyes narrowed in anger and my Pokédex was forgotten as I found myself in my first real battle. "Clovis?" I said, "A little help?"

With what sounded like a resigned grunt, my Bulbasaur slammed into the Rattata, causing the mouse Pokémon to let out a squeak of surprise and pain as the larger Pokémon sent it sprawling. Far from done though, the normal-type found its footing and tensed up its body for a pounce. "Keep it up, buddy," I said as I opened my backpack to pull out a bandage for my still-bleeding hand. With a shrug, Clovis turned back to face his opponent, only to find the rodent launching an attack of its own, leaping at the Seed Pokémon with its fangs bared and its tiny clawed limbs slashing away at the air. A vine shot out of my Bulbasaur's bulb, but instead of intercepting the attacker, it slammed into the nearby dirt and pushed Clovis out of the way of the Rattata's flight. The normal-type ate dirt and unsteadily rose to its feet again, somewhat dazed from its failed offensive. Before it could recover though, Clovis was already on the attack, slamming into the other Pokémon and sending it back down.

After I had finished dressing my wound, my attention was fully devoted to the battle. Even though I had only contributed one or two commands, if they could be called that, my Pokémon was running circles around its feral foe. Briefly I wondered how much combat experience Clovis had before he passed into my care, and how he stacked up to the other Pokémon handed out, but that was a thought for after the battle. In the meanwhile, I decided to take charge of my battler and show that I wasn't merely a bystander in this fight. "Use your vines to attack," I yelled from my squatting position.

Clovis turned to me in confusion, and then began to argue with me about my command. At least I suspected he was arguing, I had no idea what he was saying, I only heard a steady stream of "Bulbasaur, Bulba Bulbasaur!" Before I could respond with a well-crafted defense of my position, the wild Rattata had taken advantage of the distraction and launched itself at Clovis, sinking its fangs into his leg. With a cry of anger and pain, my Pokémon produced the much anticipated vines and tore the Mouse Pokémon off of it and threw it to the ground. The purple rat attempted to rise from the crumpled heap it had been reduced to, but gave up partway through and collapsed.

"Maybe we should capture it," I said to Clovis, "It did fight pretty well, don't you think?"

My Bulbasaur scoffed at the idea, and mimed using one of its vines to throw up.

"Oh come on, you're just sore because it bit you."

The only response Clovis dignified me with was a skeptical raise of the brow.

"Whatever, I'm catching it," I said and began to rummage in my backpack for a Poké Ball I could use. Nothing could be found in the three sections of the bag, so I turned to my pockets. I managed to find one in the right pocket of my jacket, but joy quickly turned to disappointment when I remembered that it was Clovis's, and couldn't be used to catch another Pokémon. For all of the excitement leading up to my journey, no one had thought to give me a Poké Ball for my journey. Grumbling in defeat, I turned to Clovis, "Happy? I can't catch it." Needless to say, the Bulbasaur looked quite content with this turn of events. "What do we do with it?" I asked, looking at the still-motionless Rattata. Clovis shrugged and was already walking off.

"You're going the wrong way," I said, grabbing my Pokédex as I stood. We continued our trek to Viridian City, bathed in the dying rays of the setting sun. I managed to reboot my scratched and dented Pokédex, but when I pointed it at Clovis or any of the Pidgey flying to their nests, the device failed to detect any Pokémon to give data on and informed me in a robotic voice that, to my ears, sounded more and more irritated with each failed attempt. I turned the Pokédex to look at the part that was supposed to pick up the presence of the Pokémon and found that it was not only covered in a film of dirt from the flight of the Pidgey flock and the drop, but also marred by a series of scratches made where the Rattata had been chewing on it. I cycled through the settings, but to no avail; my just Pokédex wouldn't work. "Maybe we should've just asked Dave for another one," I said, slipping the useless device into the back pocket of my jeans.

There was no reply from Clovis, so I let the conversation die and narrowed my focus to getting to the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Now that we were much closer, I could make out the distinctive red-roofed building and was relieved by the sight. True, I had never been in one before, but I had seen the pictures, and the idea of a place where trainers could heal their Pokémon, feed their partners and themselves, and sleep, all free of charge had always seemed like a relaxing notion. We made our way out of the grass just as the last feeble flickers of sunshine disappeared behind the trees and minutes later, Clovis and I were on the paved sidewalks of Viridian City, and headed to the Pokémon Center.

We entered through the automatic sliding glass doors and were welcomed by a burst of artificially cooled air that pushed back against the muggy evening air of the outside. I walked up to the desk and rang a bell for service. As if out of thin air, a young woman in a nurse's uniform appeared with a Chansey. "Hello," she said, "for here or to-go?"

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You are a trainer, right?" she asked with a hint of pity in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm just a little new."

"Well, are you spending the night here or continuing on?"

"There are people who just keep going?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh yes, there are all sorts of reasons why," she said brightly, "Some trainers believe they can get tougher Pokémon by sleeping outdoors and others in a hurry are convinced they can get farther by travelling through the night."

My thoughts turned to Maggie; undoubtedly she was one of those go-getters. But I wasn't up for that, not yet at least. "We'll be staying overnight," I said.

"Very good, may I take your Pokémon?"

"See you in the morning, Clovis," I said, retrieving his Poké Ball and returning him to its interior in a flash of red light. I passed him over to the nurse and went off to find a room and some dinner. I had hardly set down my things and relaxed on my bed when I passed out, exhausted from the day's excitement.


End file.
